The Velvet Siren

"Now!"

The shaking echo of Sam's voice lingered inside Jeff's brain. It took its time, rattling around, checking his pulse, and finally shaking him into action.

Yes.

Left. Right.

You can do this.

Left. Right. Left...

All the preparation, the observing, taking notes over timing and human traffic had somehow turned the familiar street into a battlefield.

And not the respectable "Historical landmark" kind, or the funny "Let's blast them into space!" videogame kind, but the heart-freezing "Scary shit could happen any second, and everyone might be an enemy" kind.

But Sam was right.

If they wanted to be alone, it was now or never. And they had already had to wait for Jeff, so it was now.

All too aware of the abstract painting of cold sweat on the back of his shirt, Jeff felt his limbs stagger after his friend.

Wait.

Were they his limbs?

They moved too awkwardly; dragged around by his torso against their will. They were attached to him, though. Must have been his.

Too late now anyway; they were coming with.

The welcoming bell chime of the opening door broke into Jeff's thoughts, as a new kind of terror started settling in. What if they were wrong, and he needed to wait more, and they got arrested... and his Nana found out?

He felt the twins' hands on either side.

Sustaining or shoving?

Didn't matter.

They squeezed side by side through the door's frame. A platoon of three.

The Guy called their names in a tepid welcome, without lifting his eyes from the humming screen. They knew his name once. But didn't remember anymore. With a soft generic greeting, they squeaked their way past him, under the fluorescent light.

No.

Not the usual this time.

This time around, they came for her.

At the end of the maze of plastic boxes, a maze Jeff could waltz through with his eyes closed, her presence hungered for them — a siren of red velvet, murmuring her silent song.

They dared not look directly at her — a vague red shadow on the white speckled linoleum floor was their clue to stop.

Jeff felt his lack of breath alert The Guy. Or so he thought, clutching the card in his pocket.

"Do we... flash him now?" He fought the dryness of his throat.

The twins shook their heads.

"Be cool!" Hissed Seb — eyes glued to the floor.

"You got this!" Sam squeezed Jeff's shoulder. Her hand as clammy as his.

"Do we... cross together?" He whispered into her neck.

There was no answer.

Seb's red ears and dilated nostrils made it clear he wouldn't speak either.

"One at a time then. Let's make it count." Jeff heard his voice say. Authoritative. There's a first for everything.

The twins took less than a glance to pick who would cross first.

It would be Sam.

It always had to be Sam.

She was the oldest after all.

Her overly eager hands ruffled through the fabric, located its edges and made a hole just big enough to squeeze through without revealing what was on the other side. The guys heard her squeal before the velvet cascaded behind her, hushing every sound.

Seb followed, mesmerized.

He didn't ask if Jeff wanted to go first.

He didn't have to.

That was the rule.

He merged with the velvet like they were both made of silky fluid. No creases, no sounds. She accepted and assimilated him instantly.

A single dampened "Woah!" let Jeff know that Seb made it to the other side.

Suddenly, he felt naked.

No, not naked, vulnerable.

Could have been naked, though. No protection, nothing to stop The Guy's gaze.

There was a witness. There would have always been a witness.

The colorful flecks on the linoleum started shaking and spinning slowly. He had to swallow many times to make them stop.

With a trembling hand, he caressed the velvet curtain. She pulsed under his touch. Her magic coursed through his veins, accelerating the beating of his heart.

He wasn't sure if he was ready, but he was sure he didn't want to be left alone there.

He closed his eyes and gently willed his hand to push on the fabric.

It didn't move.

A muffled voice reached his ears. For a moment, he was sure it came from underwater. But when he opened his eyes, The Guy was holding his wrist, with a questioning look.

He had spoken, but Jeff's ears didn't work.

His whole being was barely holding it together.

Suddenly, blood invaded every capillary of his face. He felt it pulse and hum. He needed to prove he had the right!

He focused his gaze on The Guy's questioning face and pulled the card out of his pocket.

The guy wiped Jeff's sweat off it and chuckled before giving it back.

"Happy birthday, Jeff!" he said and stepped away.

The rush of adrenaline carried Jeff forward. He grabbed the curtain and lifted it unceremoniously with greedy fingers.

His friends were there, waiting, pointing, giggling.

So many boxes, showing all the unbridled limits of human anatomy, flooded the shelves.

But all Jeff had eyes for was the other side of the red curtain.